It was a tremendous community undertaking, fueled by holiday spirit. The effort began with eight organizations coming together to build holiday baskets to be donated to seniors in need.
Organizers created 78 decorated holiday boxes that were filled with food, decorations and supplies. SRC volunteer drivers came forward to deliver the boxes in time for Christmas. Each box was customized according to the wants and needs of the recipient. The team, led by our well organized Volunteer and Chores Coordinator Mick Quinn, did much information gathering up front to make sure the boxes were truly special and made the biggest impact.
Every box had a holiday meal with turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing and more provided by Art Robbins with Evergreen Christian Outreach.
The boxes also included toiletry bags, designated for men or women. These were made by the men’s and women’s groups at Christ the King Catholic Church. Evergreen Animal Protective League’s president Jackie Bell filled pet bags with treats and toys for cats and dogs.
Reaching seniors in four counties
On a cold and clear Tuesday morning, December 20th, fourteen eager volunteer drivers from SRC Evergreen arrived before 9:30 am. Each driver picked up two or three holiday baskets. They next stopped at the Evergreen Christian Outreach (EChO) food bank to pick up meals, before heading out to spread holiday cheer. The drivers distributed boxes across Jefferson, Clear Creek, Park and Gilpin Counties.
Our Evergreen staff put in a tremendous amount of work. It truly was a group effort.
Thank you to all the organizations and people who made this possible! You’ve made it clear to many seniors this season that they are in the hearts and minds of their neighbors:
- Evergreen Christian Outreach for providing the meals.
- Christ the King Church for the toiletry bags
- Evergreen Animal Protection League for the pet bags
- Rocky Mountain Academy (all grades) for dropping off donations of toiletries and decorations.
- Boy Scout troop #1776 for making Christmas cards and decorations
- Cub Scout pack #508 for delivering 21 boxes to an apartment complex
- Salvation Army Evergreen Extension Unit for helping to fund the meals for EChO
- Debbie Watson for donating the bankers boxes that were used to make the baskets.
- And last but not least a big thank you to 22 of our fabulous SRC volunteers who helped to make this wonderful day possible.